Handling HRM results from prolonged mod. activity...

Swimgoddess

Ok, so I'm aware that HRMs are not stellar at calculating calories burned during times of rest/sedentary behavior. But I find myself (and I notice others sometimes) tempted to wear it for prolonged active periods not strictly classified as "workouts".

Case in point: a couple days ago I undertook some whole house/spring cleaning. My polar ft7 reported a whopping 1549 calories burned over 3.75hrs, avg hr 121bpm, max hr 157bpm. If I went below 100bpm at any one time I paused the session. Today I did weeding/gardening & burned 321 calories in 1.2hrs, avg hr 100bpm, max hr 140bpm and I only paused if I stopped working this time.

If I partook in these types of activities everyday, I'd think I'd just upgrade my activity level from sedentary to lightly active, but I don't, so I don't want to give myself a daily caloric bump for occasional activity. I think I'm not alone in wanting to keep my setting at sedentary so I can eat back my exercise calories when I do and avoid eating extra when I don't. In a way, the MFP activity setting makes this a two-part question. It is probably more important for people who are strict about having a certain deficit. (Personally, I'm not because of my body make-up and being so close to my goal range. I know there is a very slight deficit of 40-300 calories per day even though I'm set for MFP's maintenance level. So long as I eventually improve on my situation).

The question (2nd part) I find myself and others asking is, how are you handling these calories when logging? Do you log all of them, a percentage, or ignore them? Are there certain circumstances where you do or you don't based on avg hr, etc? I'm thinking of maybe employing a formula where I subtract MFP's maintenance calories prorated per hour so I only count the "over and above" calories that wouldn't already be accounted for by sitting on my rear.

For example:
-My MFP maintenance @ sedentary level is 1840/day or 76/hr
-Spring cleaning day HRM reported 1549 cals in 3.75hrs, 76 x 3.75 = 285, so 1549 - 285 = 1,264 loggable calories
-Gardening this a.m. HRM reported 321 cals in 1.2hrs, 76 x 1.2 = 91, so 321 - 91 = 230 loggable calories

IDK if it's a good plan or not. What does everyone else do?

schnarfo

personally i only wear my hrm when at the gym and i just log the calorie count it says without deducting anything. I dont tend to log cleaning although I know I could. I have my activity level set to sedentary even though I probably have a lightly active job.

I am very tempted to wear my hrm for 24 hours just to see.... but I know theres not much point in doing this!

chezkie

I only log my workout calories. Today I spent a few hours in the garden and really worked up a sweat sweeping paths and trimming my hedges, but I just thought any calories burnt were a bonus, the same as yesterday when my hubby and I walked to the shops and back (about 30 minutes at a moderate pace). When you start logging calories for these kind of things it becomes obsessive, and as you said, if it's not an everyday thing, it's probably not worth stepping up your daily activity level for either.

Just my personal opinion, not to say it's the right or wrong way to do things.

Swimgoddess

Hm, crud... just realized my maintenance calories per hour thing is horribly flawed because we make up the difference between BMR/RMR & maintenance/TDEE only during the hours we're awake. So my per hour sedentary rate during my avg 13 waking hours per day is probably closer to 89 calories instead of 76. (MFP BMR of 1475/24=base rate of 61/hr. Maintenance of 1840-1475=365 daily activity calories over 13 waking hrs or 365/13=28 cals per hr + base rate of 61=89)

Ugggh! I'm WAAAAY overthinking this. I hate it when things can't be standardized scientifically or with a mathematical formula. I'm a control freak, I know...

schnarfo

totally over thinking it lol just go with what works for you. everyone is different

Swimgoddess

totally over thinking it lol just go with what works for you. everyone is different

Yep... realizing that now. I just get kinda freaked out by the starvation mode stuff people put on here; like ignoring my gardening stuff from today, nbd... but ignoring over 1000 calories from spring cleaning? I guess it would be a big deal if I did it everyday, which I don't... so yeah, I can laugh about it now. I got a little crazy there a minute :P

crisanderson27

LOL this post made me smile =D.

I'm kinda like you...in that I want to KNOW how it all works, and KNOW how to make it fit my little plan I've got going.

I had to physically resist (by placing the three pieces of my HRM in three different parts of the house) fiddling with the damn thing to find out what each and every activitiy I do during the day would record for calories burned. I REFUSE to take the thing to work tomorrow and see what I burn there lol.

I'm a professional bladesmith (as in hammer, forge...steel...the whole 9yds) as well...and I won't wear it out there either.

Exercise, and exercise only for me!!

Cris